When you're sitting around drinking bubbles and singing Christmas carols or opening presents, it's just not the same without something warm and cheesy to nibble on.

Brie is not the most loved cheese (there are people who find it slightly stinky)...

But when you bake it into an ooey-gooey mess, you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who can resist a taste (or two, or three—or eleven).

And it only gets better when you top it with homemade blackberry and apple jam, candied pecans, and pomegranate seeds!

Because although we can all agree that melty cheese is ridiculously good, when you combine it with slightly tart jam and crunchy pecans, you will NEED a second, third—and eleventh!—helping!

And let’s be honest, it’s darn cute.

It’s a present in itself!

Baked Brie with Blackberry Apple Jam

servings:1 brie wheel with about 1¾ cups jam, serves 8 to 10

Blackberry Apple Jam:

2 cups blackberries, halved

2 medium green apples, peeled + chopped into ½-inch dice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Baked Brie:

1 brie cheese wheel (16 ounces), rind on

1½ cups Blackberry Apple Jam

½ cup whole blackberries

1 medium green apple, sliced

¼ cup coarsely chopped candied pecans

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Blackberry Apple Jam:

In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the blackberries, apples, maple syrup, and vinegar. Bring this mixture to a boil, then a simmer, stirring occasionally, until all of the fruit is purple and has broken down; the liquid should be absorbed and the mixture thick and jam-like—10 to 15 minutes.

Baked Brie:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the top rind off the brie wheel and discard it. Place the brie wheel in a small, round, oven-proof dish, then place the dish on a baking sheet and cook until the cheese is melty—10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the baked brie from the oven and top it with the Blackberry Apple Jam, blackberries, apple slices, pecans, pomegranate seeds, and thyme leaves.

Notes:

As the brie is eaten, there will be less jam at the bottom. Feel free to add the remaining ¼ cup of jam (the amount remaining after putting the 1½ cups of jam on top of the baked brie) to the bottom bit of the brie to increase the jam-to-brie ratio.

So like everything else in my life that I like to make mini-size, I took a classic baked brie and made it mini! These minis have all the flavors of a baked brie in a two bites (or one bite for my husband). Perfection!

Brie + Jam Crostini

servings:16 crostinis

Ingredients:

1 small baguette

1 to 1 ½ cups raspberry jam

1 wedge brie cheese (about 6 ounces), cut into ¼- ½-inch slices

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

Slice the baguette into sixteen ½-inch thick slices, cutting on an angle. Then toast the baguette until it is just lightly toasted.

Top each toasted baguette slice with a heaping tablespoon of jam, then a piece of brie, and finally the leaves from about half a sprig of thyme.

Put the slices in a toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is mostly melted. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes:

Lots of jams work with this recipe--besides raspberry, my favorites are apricot, strawberry and blackberry.

Be sure to spread on a nice, thick layer of jam; there should be an equal amount of jam to cheese.

To get the thyme leaves off the stem easily, simply run your fingers against the grain along the stem.

These are still good even when they become room temperature--the cheese will still be a little melty!